The present invention relates generally to interfaces and, more particularly, to a bus interface that achieves bus compatibility between an automatic telephone call distributor employing a first bus protocol and a peripheral that employs a second bus protocol different than the first bus protocol of the automatic telephone call distributor.
Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) switching systems typically are required to perform many complex tasks, and the functional requirements for such systems are continually evolving. An ACD switching system may handle many types of xe2x80x9ccallsxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9ctransactionsxe2x80x9d including not just conventional (voice) telephone calls but also, for example, e-mail, voice-mail, Internet transactions, voice-over-Internet-Protocol transmissions, facsimile transmissions, etc. Other tasks that ACD""s must perform may include, by way of example only, the provision of answer-detection for international telephony systems, voice-mail, voice receive (capture) and transmit (play-back), voice-recognition, voice-response, DTMF-tone and other PCM-sequence detection, and other service features, and the implementation of diverse signaling systems to accommodate a variety of telephone and data communication systems (e.g., conventional analog telephone circuits, T-1 connections, voice-signaling via Internet Protocol, Digital Trunk Ports (DTP""s), etc.). Of course, innumerable other tasks or functional features may be provided in an ACD, if desired.
Frequently, the functional features of an ACD system are implemented by peripheral devices or network termination functional modules that communicate with the ACD system via a network termination or data bus of the ACD. More particularly, a typical ACD network has one or more network terminations that may be interconnected with peripheral devices or network termination functional modules using a well-defined bus protocol employed by the ACD network. The bus protocol may be either an industry-standard protocol or a proprietary protocol designed specifically for the particular ACD network. In any event, the network termination functional modules generally take the form of circuit cards that plug into the network terminations or ports of the ACD. Such circuit cards can provide, by way of example only, connections to twenty-four communication circuits each and/or provide functionality to the ACD network as described above.
As ACD""s have come into increasingly widespread use, a sizeable number of third-party telecommunications companies have introduced a rich selection of ready-to-use circuit cards providing a wide range of functional features and services for ACD""s. Because some ACD""s employ a proprietary bus protocol for data and control signaling, however, those ACD""s are not compatible with the bus protocols employed by many of the third-party manufacturer""s circuit-card products (i.e., common, xe2x80x9coff-the-shelfxe2x80x9d circuit cards). In order to obtain the functional features offered by those third-party circuit cards, makers of some ACD""s must expend substantial time and money to design and develop versions of such circuit cards that are compatible with their respective ACD bus protocols.
The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for providing an interface between a circuit that employs one bus protocol and an automatic call distribution network that employs another, different bus protocol.
In one embodiment of the present invention, an automatic call distribution system includes an automatic call distribution network and a plurality of network terminations that are interconnectable with the automatic call distribution network using a first bus protocol. An interface is interconnectable with one of the network terminations using the first bus protocol and is operable for interfacing between the first bus protocol and a second bus protocol different than the first bus protocol. A network termination functional module is interconnectable with the interface using the second bus protocol.
The interface may be further operable for interfacing between the first bus protocol and multiple different bus protocols different from the first bus protocol and may be alternatively interconnected with any desired network termination functional module using whatever bus protocol is employed by that network termination functional module.
Also, the automatic call distribution system may include a secondary automatic call distribution network with which at least one of the network terminations is interconnectable using the first bus protocol. In one embodiment, at any given time, the interface interconnects with either the automatic call distribution network or the secondary automatic call distribution network, but not both, via one of the network terminations, thereby enabling deselection of a non-operational automatic call distribution network, if necessary.
The network termination functional module may comprise a circuit card, and the interface may comprise a processor that provides for information exchange between the circuit card and the automatic call distribution network via the interface. Alternatively, the network termination functional module may comprise a plurality of circuit cards and the interface may comprise a processor for providing information exchange between the automatic call distribution system and one or more of the plurality of circuit cards.
In another embodiment of the invention, an automatic call distribution network interface is provided for use in an automatic call distribution system that includes an automatic call distribution network interconnectable with a plurality of network terminations using a first bus protocol. The interface includes a second bus interconnectable with a network termination functional module using a second bus protocol different than the first bus protocol and means coupled to the second bus and interconnectable with the first bus at one of the plurality of network terminations for converting between the first bus protocol and the second bus protocol.
In yet another embodiment of the present invention, a method of using an ACD network interconnectable with a plurality of network terminations using a first bus protocol includes the steps of providing a bus converter coupled with one of the network terminations using the first bus protocol and operable for converting between the first bus protocol and a second, different bus protocol and coupling a network termination functional module with the bus converter using the second bus protocol.